Combination credenza and table



' Sept. 12, 1967 A. SIMS I COMBINATION CREDENZA AND TABLE Filed April'4,1966 Qv Rs mm WN 1m N A 9 B M 8'" 2A I v L Q United States Patent3,340,827 COMBINATION CREDENZA AND TABLE Antonina Sims, 31 49th Ave.,Lachine, Quebec, Canada Filed Apr. 4, 1966, Ser. No. 548,341 2 Claims.(Cl. 108-77) The present invention relates to an article of furnitureand, more particularly, to a credenza, or sideboard, and has for itsgeneral object the provision of such a piece of furniture which can bereadily converted into a table.

In modern homes and apartments, space is usually limited anddining-rooms are absent. Collapsible tables are generally used in theliving-room so as to take up a minimum of space when collapsed and notin use as a table. However, the collapsed table cannot serve as storagemeans, except the table top.

In accordance with the invention, a credenza or piece of furnitureincluding a hollow body serving as storage means, is provided with aslidable top and an additional panel which are so arranged that they canform a table top of approximately double the area of the top surface ofthe credenza itself.

Another object of the present invention resides in the provision of acredenza, or sideboard, which can be easily converted into a table andvice versa by a simple manipulation of the top panels.

The foregoing and other important objects of the present invention willbecome more apparent during the following disclosure and by referring tothe drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of the credenza or sideboard in collapsedcondition, when used as a sideboard;

FIGURE 2 is a perspective view of the credenza converted as a diningtable;

FIGURE 3 is a partial perspective View of the piece of furniture in thecollapsed position corresponding to that of FIGURE 1; and

FIGURE 4 is a partial cross-section taken along line 4-4 of FIGURE 3.

In the drawings, like reference characters indicate like elementsthroughout.

The piece of furniture in accordance with the invention comprises anelongated body serving as storage and adapted to be supported on thefloor and provided with a first slidable top panel and a second panelhinged to the first panel. The first panel is slidable between a firstretracted position in register with the top of the body, and an advancedposition protruding from one side face of the body.

The second panel is hinged to the trailing edge of the first panel forpivotal movement in a vertical plane between a position hanging downalong the opposite side of the body when the first panel is in retractedposition, and a second position forming an extension of the first panelin the advanced position of the latter.

The elongated body is generally indicated at 1 and can take the form ofa credenza, cupboard or sideboard, or the like. For instance, it isprovided with doors 2 and drawers 3 at the front side face thereof. Ithas exposed end walls 4 and a back wall 5 adapted to be positioned closeto a room wall. The body 1 is preferably supported on the floor by meansof legs 6.

A first panel 7, of rectangular shape, closes, when in retractedposition, the open top of the body I. Said first panel 7 is providedwith dovetailed grooves 8 near the two ends thereof and parallel to saidends, said grooves opening at the rear longitudinal edge 9 of panel 7and terminating short of the front longitudinal edge 10 of panel 7.

A guide block 11, also of dovetailed cross-section, slidably engageseach groove 8. The guide blocks 11 are se- 'ice cured to and aresupported by a bar 12 secured to body 1 and running longitudinallythereof inwardly from front face of the body 1 and just underneath thepanel 7.

A second longitudinally extending bar 13 is also secured to body 1adjacent the back 5 of the body so as to support panel 7.

In its retracted position, panel 7 registers with the top of body 1;that is, its front edge 10 is preferably flush with the front side faceof body 1 while its rear edge 9 protrudes slightly backwardly from theback 5 of body 1.

In this position, the guide blocks 11 abut against the front end ofgrooves 8. Panel 7 is thus arranged to be slidably moved forwardly ofbody 1 so as to protrude from the front face thereof until a stop 14protruding within the respective grooves 8, abuts against the guideblock 11 to define the limit advanced position of the panel 7.

A second panel 15, also of rectangular shape and having the same lengthas the first panel 7, is hinged to the latter by means of hinges 16 sodisposed at the underfaces of both panels 7 and 15 and along the rearedge 9 of panel 7 and the leading edge 17 of panel 15; the hinges 16allow pivotal vertical movement of the second panel 15 between a freehanging vertical position and a horizontal position in which the secondpanel 15 forms an extension of first panel 7 with the rear edge 9 ofpanel 7 abutting the leading edge 17 of panel 15.

In the retracted position of panel 7, the hinges 16 protrude from theback 5 of body 1 and therefore the second panel 15 is allowed to hangfreely vertically along the back 5 of body 1, as shown in FIGURES 3 and4.

To convert the credenza into a table, the second panel 15 is simplylifted so as to pivot the same and bring it in the same plane as firstpanel 7. Then, the second panel 15 is pushed forwardly of the body 1 soas to cause forward sliding of first panel 7 until stops 14 abut againstguide blocks 11.

During this sliding movement, the second panel 15 automatically engagesthe top of the body and becomes sup ported by the latter. In the limitposition shown in FIG- URE 2, the first panel protrudes from the frontof the body While the second panel 15 protrudes from the back of thebody.

Guide blocks 11 engaging the dovetailed grooves 8, maintain the twopanels in flat horizontal position.

To collapse the table, it is only necessary to exert a rearward pull onthe second panel to thereby retract the first panel and, when the latteris in fully retracted position with the guide blocks 11 engaging thefront end of grooves 8, the second panel 15 is allowed to drop alongsidethe back 5 of body 1. Then, the credenza can be moved back along a wall.

Panels 7 and 15 may have a length greater than the length of body 1 soas to protrude therefrom at both ends, or, as shown in the drawings,these panels may be slightly shorter than the length of body 1 so thattheir ends will fit the end walls 4 of body 1, said end walls havingtheir top edge 18 flush with the top of the panel 7 and with the top ofpanels 7 and 15 when both panels are in tableforming position.-

While a preferred embodiment in accordance with the invention has beenillustrated and described, it is understood that various modificationsmay be resorted to without departing from the spirit and scope of theappended claims.

What I claim is:

1. An article of furniture comprising an elongated body having front andback faces, a first top panel co-extensive with said body and supportedby the latter at the level of a conventional table top, the underside ofsaid first top panel having spaced parallel dovetailed grooves runningperpendicular to the long axis of said body, a bar secured to said bodylongitudinally thereof extending just underneath said first top panel,dovetailed guiding blocks secured on top of said bar and slidablyengaging said grooves respectively for guiding said top panel formovement in its own plane transversely of the longitudinal axis of saidbody between a retracted position in which said top panel registers withsaid body and an advanced position in which said top panel protrudesfrom the front face of said body, said guiding blocks also retainingsaid panel on said body, said grooves terminating short of the frontedge of said first top panel and extending towards the rear edge of saidfirst top panel, abutting members secured to said first top panel nearthe rear edge of the latter and extending within said grooves, saidguiding blocks abutting against the ends of said grooves in theretracted position of said first top panel to determine said retractedposition and abutting against said abutment members in the advancedposition of said first top panel to determine said advanced position,and a second panel hinged along an edge thereof to the rear edge of saidfirst top panel for 4 pivotal movement in a vertical plane between ahorizontal position and a vertical position, said second panel in itshorizontal position forming an extension of said first top panel andsupported by said body when said first top panel is in advancedposition, said second panel allowed to take its vertical position alongthe back face of said body in the retracted position of said first toppanel.

2. An article as claimed in claim 1, further including a second barextending longitudinally of said body and secured thereto, justunderneath said top panel and at the back of said body, to support saidfirst top panel in the retracted position of the same and to supportsaid second top panel in the advanced position of first top panel and inthe horizontal position of said second panel.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 689,407 12/1901 Organ 108771,891,986 12/1932 Hutton 10877 FRANCIS K. ZUGEL, Primary Examiner.

1. AN ARTICLE OF FURNITURE COMPRISING AN ELONGATED BODY HAVING FRONT ANDBACK FACES, A FIRST TOP PANEL CO-EXTENSIVE WITH SAID BODY AND SUPPORTEDBY THE LATTER AT THE LEVEL OF A CONVENTIONAL TABLE TOP, THE UNDERSIDE OFSAID FIRST TOP PANEL HAVING SPACED PARALLEL DOVETAILED GROOVES RUNNINGPERPENDICULAR TO THE LONG AXIS OF SAID BODY, A BAR SECURED TO SAID BODYLONGITUDINALLY THEREOF EXTENDING JUST UNDERNEATH SAID FIRST TOP PANEL,DOVETAILED GUIDING BLOCKS SECURED ON TOP OF SAID BAR AND SLIDABLYENGAGING SAID GROOVES RESPECTIVELY FOR GUIDING SAID TOP PANEL FORMOVEMENT IN ITS OWN PLANE TRANSVERSELY OF THE LONGITUDINAL AXIS OF SAIDBODY BETWEEN A RETRACTED POSITION IN WHICH SAID TOP PANEL REGISTERS WITHSAID BODY AND AN ADVANCE POSITION IN WHICH SAID TOP PANEL PROTRUDES FROMTHE FRONT FACE OF SAID BODY, SAID GUIDING BLOCKS ALSO RETAINING SAIDPANEL ON SAID BODY, SAID GROOVES TERMINATING SHORT OF THE FRONT EDGE OFSAID FIRST TOP PANEL AND EXTENDING TOWARDS THE REAR EDGE OF SAID FIRSTTOP PANEL, ABUTTING MEMBERS SECURED TO SAID FIRST TOP PANEL NEAR THEREAR EDGE OF THE LATTER AND EXTENDING WITHIN SAID GROOVES, SAID GUIDINGBLOCKS ABUTTING AGAINST THE ENDS OF SAID GROOVES IN THE RETRACTEDPOSITION OF SAID FIRST TOP PANEL TO DETERMINE SAID RETRACTED POSITIONAND ABUTTING AGAINST SAID ABUTMENT MEMBERS IN THE ADVANCED POSITION OFSAID FIRST TOP PANEL TO DETERMINE SAID ADVANCED POSITION, AND A SECONDPANEL HINGED ALONG AN EDGE THEREOF TO THE REAR EDGE OF SAID FIRST TOPPANEL FOR PIVOTAL MOVEMENT IN A VERTICAL PLANE BETWEEN A HORIZONTALPOSITION AND A VERTICAL POSITION, SAID SECOND PANEL IN ITS HORIZONTALPOSITION FORMING AN EXTENSION OF SAID FIRST TOP PANEL AND SUPPORTED BYSAID BODY WHEN SAID FIRST TOP PANEL IS IN ADVANCED POSITION, SAID SECONDPANEL ALLOWED TO TAKE ITS VERTICAL POSITION ALONG THE BACK FACE OF SAIDBODY IN THE RETRACTED POSITION OF SAID FIRST TOP PANEL.